Barton Seagrave beauty queen to compete in America after winning UK pageant

A beauty queen from Barton Seagrave will compete across the pond after winning a UK pageant.

Bethany Blissett was crowned champion in the ‘Miss’ division in this month’s International Junior Miss UK event in Trowbridge.

She’ll now go on to represent the nation at the International Junior Miss event in America’s Virginia Beach in January 25, having also been awarded the brand ambassador, top model and dream model awards.

Bethany, 21, said: "I am very excited and I’m really looking forward to meeting girls from all over the world.”

Bethany’s pageant career started aged 13 and she has raised more than £25,000 for charities by putting on a series of events.

In the year leading up to the finals she used her platform to raise funds for mental health charity Mind – with events such as a big screen pageant showing and a glitzy and glamorous ball – as well as working with charity The Washing Machine Project who help to make women’s lives easier in third world countries by building washing machines for them so they don’t have to hand wash.

At the two-day pageant competition the social media executive, who works at RS Components in Corby, was interviewed by judges about her career, what she does for her community and charity events, before taking to the stage in her fun fashionwear and evening gown.

Bethany said her success was ‘unexpected’.

She said: “I didn’t think I had done very well in my interview so it was incredible to win.

"I was over the moon.”

Bethany added that she wanted to thank locals who had sponsored her including Stefanie Jayne’s at Mawsley who sponsored her evening gown, R F Blount of Kettering who helped with funds towards her hair and makeup and Richard Murill who sponsored her fashionwear.